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I miss him.
Con flic t 41
6 • ORE NOIR
“A Wh at Pl ay ing Ga me ?”
My educated guess is tha
t most people who read
and know exactly what this are gamers
they have. But if you’re
gaming and want to kn un fam iliar with
ow what it’s about, I’ll
article written with abso ref er you to an online
lute beginners in mind.
http://www.gregstolze Yo u can find it at
.com/HowtoPlay.zip alo
other game-oriented ma ng with a lot of
terial.
ORE NOIR • 7
How the Character Sheet Works
“This is a different kind of game. There’s no board,
other than your imagination…” Most explanations
of roleplaying games haul out that old motto. I’ve
written it myself several times. But thinking things
over, there is a board for this game, and it’s your
character sheet.
Your character sheet (there’s a blank one There are also spaces for Specialties.
on page 70) records how well your character Where the Qualities are vague, and the
does certain things and what his current Identities are even more vague, Specialties
abilities are. In most games, there are a few are painstakingly specific. Don’t worry
traits that fluctuate during the course of a about them for now: The Identities and
game session – how close your character is to Qualities are what you’re going to use
death, how many bullets remain in his gun, almost all the time.
how close to exhaustion he is and so forth. But Identities and Qualities both come in
most traits only improve very slowly. A Dirty pairs, lying along a continuum. One obvious
World is different. In this game, your abilities example is Purity and Corruption. If you
can change from scene to scene, tracking the look on the character sheet you see them as
alterations in your character’s mood, condition lines of circles, one above the other.
and circumstances. Instead of a vague gauge of
his skill at fist fighting or telling lies, your traits purity .
reflect how good he is at it right now.
There are two kinds of traits on your
character sheet: Identities and Qualities. An corruption
corruption
corruption
WRATH
Example: I roll five dice and get 1,3,6,7,10. I have no sets. I roll again and get 3,3,3,6,6.
That gives me two sets. One is a set of three threes, or 3x3, and the other is a pair of
sixes, 2x6.
Width shows how quickly and intensely something happens. Height indicates how much
circumstance favors the action, or how difficult it is to stop.
Simple Actions
Simple actions are those where there isn’t active, adapting resistance to the action, but there’s still
an obstacle to overcome. Examples would include climbing a wall, building a zip gun, digging a
grave without getting exhausted, or searching a room for a hidden letter. For these, you simply
roll an appropriate pool. If any set at all comes up, the attempt succeeded.
Contested Actions
Contested actions are those where someone is trying to stop you. For instance, someone’s trying
to cheat you out of your house through bogus legal maneuvering, and you take them to court to
stop them. Or someone tries to swing a shovel into your face and you duck. Or someone wants
to convince you of his honesty and goodwill and you want to know if he’s on the level.
When a conflict of this sort arises, both parties roll the relevant pools. The person who’s
trying to act (the con man, the shovel man, the persuader) picks a set to use. The person on the
receiving end picks a set as well, and those dice become Gobble Dice.
Difficulty
Some things are hard. Most simple actions have a default Difficulty of 1. Any roll whose Height
beats or matches the Difficulty succeeds. Most of the time, then, any roll qualifies. But a more
onerous task might have Difficulty 3. That means that x2 and x1 sets aren’t good enough to get
it done. If a task had Difficulty 10, only sets with a Height of ten could manage it. But by and
large, Difficulties should be the exception, not the rule. If you’re a GM, only put a Difficulty on
when things are really tough, and even then never more than 5, maximum. Anything that would
warrant Difficulty 6+ is probably hard enough that the player shouldn’t bother to roll. See also
“To Roll or Not Roll?” below.
Getting Fancy
There are a couple things you can do to try and get more mileage out of your pool. Here are the
rules for them.
Called Shots
A called shot is when you want to get a set of one particular Height and you don’t want to leave it
to chance. You might want to get a x10 set to make sure it’s hard to defend against. Or you might
want to get an x1 set so that you can say (technically) that you did it, while secretly hoping that
the action fails.
Example: Hans is giving a speech at the union meeting and trying to inspire the
workers to strike on principle. But at the same time, he’s trying to score points with the shop
steward’s wife by subtly implying to her that he’s more man than her husband. Inspiration
from principle is Persuasive Purity, and Hans has 8d in that. But seduction is Persuasive
Corruption, and he’s only got 5d in that. So to do both at once, he takes his smaller pool,
knocks a die out of it and rolls, looking for two sets. Getting a 2,2,6,6, he succeeds. If he’d
rolled 3,3,7,9, he’d have to decide which he wanted more – uniting the proletariat, or uniting
with Mrs. Steward when her husband’s working late.
Example: Jerry and Johnno are trying to fix the truck before its owner (Jerry’s brother
Big Stevie) gets home and sees it’s damaged. Johnno, the better mechanic, is going to make
the primary roll. Jerry wants to help him beforehand, and happens to get a 2x1 set on his
Patient Demonstration roll. When Johnno makes his Patient Demonstration roll, he gets to
add two dice to his pool.
This gets particularly interesting when the assistance comes from a different kind of pool.
Example: Ambrose is hot tempered and zealous about punishing the bad guys. Noah is a
sly devious bastard who has hidden, but not quite smothered, his desire to help out society’s
victims. They fight crime. During an interrogation, Noah’s trying to convince the suspect
to go along, that Noah’s on his side and that things can go a lot easier if he cooperates. He’s
rolling Persuasive Deceit because he doesn’t care about this pimply little gunsel and knows
damn well that, with a confession in hand, the D.A. is going to make the kid into sandwich
spread. After he declares his action, Ambrose decides to help him out after the fact by giving
the little crook a smack across the chops. The kid’s resisting with Understanding Deceit,
trying to see if Noah’s on the level. They roll.
The kid gets a 2x9. Ambrose gets a 2x5. Noah gets a 2x3. Normally, the kid would see
through Noah like Norman Bates through a bathroom wall, but Ambrose’s success pushes
Noah’s up to a 4x3. The kid’s Gobble Dice reduce it to a 2x3, but it’s not enough. With his
teeth rattled by Ambrose’s chin music, he’s desperate to believe Noah can help him out.
32 • SWIFT JUSTICE
Is one player better than the other? Emphatically no. If the group is having fun,
you’re playing right. Some groups are going to skew towards tactics and some towards character
drama, and as long as all the players understand each other’s goals and trust one another, there’s
no reason Vanessa and Clint can’t get along, have a great time and be effective.
But honestly, I think most players can do better than “get along.” The system is based on
character, and the ideal is to describe your character’s moods and growth and reversals of
fortune in a way that helps the story move your way. You shouldn’t have to choose between
drama and effectiveness, because the whole system is based on having drama make your
character more effective.
SWIFT JUSTICE • 33
Player motives don’t matter nearly as much when you can
reach the same result either way. Specifically: Clint can, with a
little thought, come up with an in character rationale for why
the scene made Bronwen more selfish. Maybe she was just
starting to trust this guy when he chickened out on her and
now it’s every woman for herself. Instead of “Bronwen becomes
more selfish because it’s good for the plot,” it’s “She decides she’s
better off without that simp, it’s Bronwen for Bronwen and she’s
done fooling around. She’s ready to raid that scumbag temple
by hook or by crook.”
Similarly, Vanessa has a menu of possible options for
Jed that don’t have to screw up Clint’s plan. She might,
”
“Scene? e
for example, decide that Jed’s change of heart is more in
v the active arena than the mental one. Instead of blaming
s li d e a nd impro
You can scene,
Selfishness for his bad behavior, Jed berates himself for
li ti e s o nce per losing his temper. He decides he’s going to control himself
Qua es perm
it.
m s ta n c and make amends by striking the real enemy, no matter
if circu is a
t w h a t, exactly, e r how tough they are. Now, instead of “Jed becomes more
Bu sw
’? T h e v ague an
‘scene mediate Generous because it’s in character,” Vanessa’s play is
it ’s w h e n one im th e “Jed slides a dot from Wrath to Courage because it’s in
is, and
ti o n is resolved v e character… and because if there’s a fight at the Temple,
situa y to mo
ra c te rs are read g e he’ll probably be outnumbered.” Alternately, she could
ch a ch a n
m e th in g else. A
to so on often
slide from Corruption to Purity if she thought Purity
p h y s ic al locati s c e n e , would help, since Jed has become disgusted with
in o f
g ra p h s a change n e o f himself and resolved to do better. Or, if she thought
tele ly: A sce
ecessari
but not n wR a m o n e Corruption would protect her, she could slide in the
k in g fo r Lowbro a n d opposite direction. How does she justify raising
loo ral bars
ver seve
could co lly, a s c e n e Corruption? Hell, Jed just menaced a priest.
o l h a ll s . Genera s
po the PC Sometimes, you find motivation from what
te when oal
is comple ed th e ir g you want your character to do. That’s good
a v e e it her attain n e . because it makes you think about your character.
h new o
hed to a
or switc tim e to ta ke Sometimes, the motivation leads you in a
h e n it ’s a good y c a n
W ct, the particular direction and you use the Qualities
and refle eir
a break lid e a n d th that events have engorged. That’s good because
eir free s
go for th your character is now concretely behaving in
stice.
Swift Ju a manner consistent with the changes she’s
undergone. Either way, you get both ability
and insight.
34 • SWIFT JUSTICE
Raising and Sliding Identities (or, ‘Gradual Justice’)
At the end of each session, you can slide an Identity. The considerations of sliding Qualities at scene’s
end apply here, only more strongly. Since this is a more important change, consider both character
and tactics with greater care. This change represents the sum total of the session’s impact.
Alternately, instead of sliding, you can raise your Identities by trading in Qualities. You can’t
just trade anything for anything, however. Follow the chart.
Thus, every Identity costs two points of Quality to raise. This is the only way to improve your
Identities, at the cost of your Qualities. Your Qualities, on the other hand, go up on their own.
SWIFT JUSTICE • 35
Selfishness: Steal From Someone Who Trusts You
It doesn’t get much lower than this, does it? Any time you steal from somebody who trusts you,
your Selfishness improves. Specifically, you have to steal something meaningful – grabbing some
toll change from a millionaire’s dresser is not sufficient. Taking a pencil from your sister’s desk
is not good enough either. You have to take something someone values, something that will be
missed. Note that it doesn’t matter if you get caught later (or if you rob someone by force, for
that matter), you have to steal significant money or a valuable item from someone who did not
expect you to do it.
36 • SWIFT JUSTICE
Wrath: Torment a
Helpless Person
“M y Fr ie nd s Ar en ’t
You’d think slapping the grin off a
Ve ry Fr ie nd ly.”
kidnapper’s face to make him spill where Reading about Swift Justice
’s rules for
he caged the girl would make a detective Defiance and Wrath, or Cor
ruption and Deceit,
feel better, but in fact the exercise of it may occur to you that the
most certain way
power over the defenseless tends to be a for your party to gain those
precious Qualities
little bit addictive. It’s not just the rough is to treat each other with
desperate cruelty.
stuff with a rubber hose or some cigarette If your character insults and
abuses someone
burns, either. Humiliating a stutterer in else’s character, you can bot
h win – you by
front of his date with nothing but harsh gaining Wrath and him by gai
ning Defiance.
language can also make a character It works just like that.
feel like a big man and, therefore, Many gamers are reluctant
make him more capable of the next
to jeopardize
‘party harmony,’ even when
sadistic act on the menu. It’s got to be it’s in character,
but close trust and thoughtfu
genuine discomfort – something that lness just aren’t
the hallmarks of noir. With
bothers the victim for a couple days
these rules, PCs
are encouraged to lie to, ste
at least. Stealing a parking spot is not
al from, and
occasionally beat upon one
sufficient, not unless you’re enough
another. Since it’s
explicitly the nature of the
game, don’t hold
of a jerk to go slash their tires when it against your fellow player
they’re parked a half-acre away.
s, and the Quality
boosts should salve the stin
g somewhat.
Endurance: Survive Understand though: This isn
’t a license to annoy
Losing a Fight the other players or derail the
GM’s plot. It
Unlike Courage, Endurance is just means that characters
are encouraged to
only improved through physical interact, and noir interaction
is seldom warm
confrontation. It doesn’t matter and sugary.
whether you even got hit or not, as
On the other hand, every sce
long as you lost. If you ran away, got ne is an
opportunity to interact with
captured, pled for mercy and were someone and
thereby crank a Quality. If you
taunted out of the bar… well, okay, pester and
sandbag the other character
better luck next time. You cannot s just to make your
character stronger, it’s certain
jerk up your Endurance, however, ly going to bug
them when they’re trying to
unless someone tried to do you get their characters
stronger meaningfully. So
serious bodily harm – took a find a happy middle
ground. Get enough tension
swing or took a shot – and you, as and antagonism to
have fun. When you stop hav
a result, backed down or got badly ing fun – or more
importantly, when the other
hurt or were otherwise stymied in player stops – then
it’s time to ease off.
your goal.
SWIFT JUSTICE • 37
Defiance: Be Scorned
You know all that stuff that builds up Wrath – from insults up through Chinese water torture?
When that gets done to you, your Defiance rises. It’s pretty simple, really. Anything that would
give him Wrath gives you Defiance. The catch is, you have to be the helpless one. If he spits
on you and you deck him, you don’t get a Defiance raise. No, you have to wind up biting your
tongue and stewing over the injustice. Paying him back later is certainly kosher, and using your
newfound Defiance to do it is poetic justice. But you only get this benefit if you were unable (or
unwilling) to avenge or extricate yourself during the scene where you were victimized.
38 • SWIFT JUSTICE
“I’ll kill that dirty rat!” No, you have to get stabbed in the back with something like “I said I was
working late when I really went to your sister’s house and banged her.” It has to be a wrenching,
major betrayal of trust. Luckily, people in noir circumstances seem to be treacherous with
great frequency.
SWIFT JUSTICE • 39
Conflict
You want it, he’s got it and he won’t share. That’s
conflict. Maybe you try to charm him into changing
his mind. Maybe you apply reason and logic to
undermine his convictions. Maybe you pistol-whip
him and pry it from his unconscious fingers. These are
all resolutions of disputes, and they are all handled
the same way.
Step One: Define the Confrontation
Every conflict can be defined by how you’re trying to attain your goal and how any barriers
are opposing your will. Any action you might take can, in turn, be described by an Identity +
Quality pool.
Sometimes, you’re being thwarted by the inanimate – you need to climb a rock wall (Vigorous
Defiance) or crack a cipher (Patient Observation) or patch a leaky hull (Patient Demonstration).
You roll your pool, maybe against a Difficulty, and if you get a set, you succeed. If you fail, you
may get another try, or not, depending on circumstances.
Far more often, you’re at cross-purposes with another person. That’s when things
get interesting.
Maybe your real goal is something entirely external and he’s just in your way: You want
to steal the diamonds and he’s the security guard. Or you need to see Dr. Owens without an
appointment and she’s the secretary. In this case, it’s an opposed roll between your pool and your
opponent’s pool. Roll Cunning Selfishness against the guard’s Patient Observation to palm the
jewel, or Persuasive Purity (or Corruption, Honesty, or Deceit, depending on circumstances)
against the Secretary’s Understanding (of the appropriate Quality) to appeal to her better nature,
or to suborn her with a bribe, or to explain your situation, or to come up with a good excuse.
The opponent tries to gobble your highest or widest set (you pick) and, if he fails, you surpass
his interference.
Just maybe, however, your problem is not something just past that guy. Your problem is
that guy. Maybe you’re the guard and you want to stop the robber who’s bolting out with the
diamonds. Maybe you’re a secretary trying to convince a charming stranger to overcome his
reluctance and meet you for a drink later. Whatever the situation, it’s handled as an attack on a
character’s Quality and, once they bottom out, his Identity.
In that case, pick the Quality you want to attack, explain how you’re undermining it, and
what pool you’re using. The guard uses Vigorous Wrath to attack the fleeing thief ’s Defiance. The
secretary uses Persuasive Corruption against her target’s Purity.
CONFLICT • 41
Step Two: Roll ‘Em
Once the relevant pools are defined, everyone rolls at the same time. The Widest set goes first.
If two sets have equal Width, the Higher one goes first. If they’re equally tall and Wide, they
happen simultaneously, or you can roll a die for a tiebreaker.
Any time one of a character’s Qualities or Identities takes damage, that character loses a die
from an unused set. Once a set is reduced to 1x width, it’s no longer a set.
Example: Ron rolls and gets two sets, a 2x6 and a 3x1. But the two palookas beating
on him both roll very well, getting a 3x3 and a 3x5. The 3x5 hits first. In addition to the
damage, (explained under “Consequences”) it knocks a die from one of his sets. Ron chooses
to take it on his 2x6. That set is now ruined. When the 3x3 hits, he has to reduce his 3x1 to
a 2x1: He can’t use the unmatched six to soak up that penalty.
Characters can resist with any plausible action and pool. Dodging a blow is a Graceful
Defiance pool, blocking is Vigorous Defiance, resisting seduction through strength of character
is Understanding Purity, while resisting it with cynical disbelief is Understanding Corruption.
Resistance produces Gobble Dice, which can be applied to spoil an attacker’s sets… if they’re big
enough and (sometimes) fast enough.
Example: Quick Vinnie is trying to dip the wallet out of Agnes’ purse without Agnes
noticing. He rolls a 3x2 result on his Cunning Selfishness pool. Agnes’ player rolls Cunning
Observation to spot it and gets a 2x10. While the dice are high enough, Vinnie is just too
fast – his action is completed before Agnes has a chance to rally herself and examine her
possessions.
Later, Vinnie tries it again on Fred’s wallet. He gets a 2x8 this time, while Fred rolls a
3x3. While his set is wide enough, it’s not tall enough to ruin Vinnie’s smooth moves.
With his luck holding steady, Vinnie goes after Miranda’s purse. This time, he rolls a
2x7 and Miranda rolls a 2x7 too. Their actions go off at the same time, and with only one
of her Gobble 7 dice she’s able to spoil his set. She yanks back her purse and screams for the
police.
42 • CONFLICT
Did You Mean It?
Talk ed to Deat h
Physical actions are clear. If you fire a gun
at someone, that’s an attack. You either Since anything can be used to attack anything,
try to climb a wall or you don’t. You’re does that mean it’s possible to talk someone to
either trying to break into the office or you death? No, for two reasons.
aren’t. First off, I’m making it a rule: Verbal actions can’t
It’s different with the wars of words and reduce someone’s Vigor to zero. It just doesn’t
feelings that are a large part of make much sense.
A Dirty World’s conflicts. Depending Secondly, you can’t just fecklessly decide you’re
on the circumstances and character using this Quality to attack that Identity. It has
history, “Move it you sumbitch!” may be to make sense. If you’re trying to use Cunning
construed as a deadly insult or as friendly Observation to reduce someone’s Endurance to
encouragement. It is therefore imperative zero, you have to explain how, exactly, that’s
for all the parties in an argument to going to work. (I, for one, can’t figure out how
agree on whether the conversation is quick, sly glances would make someone physically
serious enough to roll dice. Sometimes exhausted.) The GM has the final say about which
an exchange of insults is just banter. Identities and Qualities go in a pool. That’s not so
Sometimes it’s a genuine attempt to she can screw you around, but to keep the game
erode another character’s Courage or consistent.
Generosity. A few words of flattery
may be meaningless trifles, or a serious Furthermore, you know how physical actions
assault on Purity. are clear? They’re not even that clear. A fight
scene against unimpressive local bullies may not
This issue is especially acute in conflicts warrant a blow-by-blow resolution. A few Wrath
between PCs, which are common in rolls may convince them that they’re looking for a
A Dirty World and often desirable. In score, not a challenge.
some instances, every few words spoken
can alter the other person’s Qualities: The more rolls made in a scene, the more intense
These are intense and memorable and important that scene becomes and the more
conflicts. In other instances, just one or damage it can do to a character – even a character
two rolls on each side may represent who comes out on top. As a GM, use this as a
an entire lengthy exchange. In that pacing tool. More rolls means more investment. If
case, the confrontation is less intense: the PCs are asking for more rolls, it’s because they
Neither party is committed enough to really want to push the situation. You should only
risk serious Quality damage, the kind of ask them for lots of rolls in really critical scenes.
thing that leaves you physically weak, Similarly, if you’re a player, understand that you
or emotionally drained, or intellectually don’t have to call for a roll every time you make a
depressed and distracted for days. These statement – only when you think the cut and thrust
conflicts aren’t less important, but the of argument is enough to make a difference.
stakes are lower.
CONFLICT • 43
Step Three: Consequences
Against the inanimate, if you beat the
Difficulty, it’s done.
When getting past an opponent who’s just
in the way, he applies his gobble dice to your
sets. If you can retain a set, you succeed. If
not, you’ve been thwarted.
When attacking an enemy directly, the
outcome depends on the Width of your roll,
but he always loses a die from a set if you
succeed before he has a chance to act.
Width is more important than Height, in
this instance, but you still want to roll High
because (1) they might go sooner and (2)
they’re harder to spoil with gobble dice.
Many characters (PC and GMC) can be bullied into doing things
because the player just doesn’t want to see his hard-earned
Qualities and Identities whittled away. But just because you
reduced old man Murdoch’s Generosity to zero, you haven’t made
him penniless. You’ve just made him unwilling to spend money. If
you knock out Professor Sanchez’ Demonstration Quality, it hasn’t
made him an idiot: It just means he’s going to be distracted and
inarticulate for some time.
44 • CONFLICT
Step Four:
Retreat, Repeat or Escalate
After the fallout, everyone decides what to do
next. Some characters may wish to withdraw
from the contest – fleeing via Graceful
Defiance, glowering and saying “You win this
round, Burns” as you stalk out of the bar, or
agreeing to go on that date with the persistent
secretary. If they are able to withdraw, the Outcomes
conflict is over for them. Width Result
Alternately, the characters may be eager
for more punishment, in which case you just 2-3 Slide a point off the Quality.
go back to step one. If the Quality is empty, slide
The final option is to take the conflict a point from the associated
in a new direction – maybe drawing a gun Identity on the same side of
on the woman who slapped you, or maybe the page (Vigor for Courage,
taking a punch at the guy who insulted you. Cunning for Selfishness,
It can work the other way too: If Steve’s about Understanding for Honesty
to shoot at you and you’re unarmed, you and so forth).
can make an emotional appeal (Persuasive
4 Remove a point from the
Honesty – “Steve, I never meant to hurt you,
Quality. If the Quality is
you have to believe that!”) or a reasoned
empty, remove a point from
argument (Cunning Demonstration – “Steve,
its associated Identity.
the bar next door is full of cops. If they hear a
gunshot, they’ll come running and you are far 5+ Remove a point directly
too handsome to fare well in prison”) targeting from the Identity nearest the
Steve’s Wrath. targeted Quality.
CONFLICT • 45
There are two ways to use an advantage, of whatever type. The first way is to add dice to your
pool, making success more likely. The other is to increase Width after you get a success. But
when you declare an action in a conflict, you have to say which way you’re using your edge. You
can use it before or after, but not both.
If it’s a minor advantage, it gives +1W or +1d. A serious advantage is +2W or +2d. A grievous
advantage is +3W or +3d. Examples are given below.
46 • CONFLICT
Conflicts Revealed
Because Qualities are a little vague and conflict can be somewhat abstract, here are some
examples so that you can see how quick and versatile it is.
GM: As you’re talking and offering him that drink, Gene tries to maneuver himself so
that he’s leaning close to you, but he’s subtle about it.
EMILY: “Whoopsie!” Madge gives him the benefit of the doubt and assumes he’s just
being a little clumsy.
GM: All right, he’s going to roll Persuasive Corruption to nonverbally turn you on.
The GM rolls 7d and gets a 3x3. Emily rolls a 2x2 – her gobble dice aren’t high enough. If it’d
been x3 or higher, even a pair of Gobblers would ruin his trip threes, because in this instance
time isn’t a factor.
GM: Gene’s looking pretty cute, in a grubby, feral way. Slide a point from Purity to
Corruption. He puts his hand on your shoulder, saying, “Is this a new dress?”
Another Persuasive Corruption roll.
GM: Are you going to make it look like an accident, or are you going to deliberately
throw it?
EMILY: Mmmm… I’ll make it look accidental. Madge always wants to keep up
appearances. Persuasive Purity?
GM: Sure.
They roll and this time they both get 2x8 results. Gene slides a point from Corruption to Purity.
Emily slides a point from Purity to Corruption.
CONFLICT • 47
GM: As you soak him, he puts his other hand on your other shoulder and says, “You’re
trembling.” He’s moving in to kiss you.
EMILY: “Gene, don’t. We both know you don’t want me. You just want to hurt my
husband.” Persuasive Corruption, attacking his Corruption.
GM: I think you need to use Understanding Corruption. After all, you’re not trying to
persuade him of anything, just trying to reveal to him his own ignoble motives.
And this time, I think time matters - you want to say your piece before he can put
your lips to other uses.
Emily rolls Understanding Corruption, and since her Corruption pool has been amped up to 4,
she rolls 6d. She gets a solid 3x4 result. Gene’s diminished Persuasive Corruption pool yields him
a 2x10. That kiss would have been something… but Emily’s words put a chill on it. Not only does
he slide a point off Corruption (because being a suave seducer man is a far more attractive way
to be corrupt than being a sneaky, envious weirdo) but he loses a point from his 2x10 set, giving
him no success with which to soil her.
If Gene continues, he may wear down Madge’s Purity (and eventually Understanding) to
the point that Emily decides Madge gives in just to keep her Identity intact. On the other hand,
Emily could back him off with continued shots to his Corruption (if she can think of more
plausible ways to use her improved Corruption), or she could change the nature of the conflict.
For example, if she decides she’s going to jerk away from him and go out the door, the GM has to
decide if Gene tries to grab her or not, turning the emotional conflict into a physical one. If they
go that route, Gene’s probably opening himself up for more Understanding Corruption attacks
from Madge, as she bitterly accuses him of showing his true nature – not a romantic, but a brute.
Does Gene want to go that far? He’s lost two points of Quality already and there are other fish
in the sea. This is becoming an important scene for Madge because the rolls are coming thick
and fast.
However the scene ends, Emily gets to slide one of Madge’s Qualities. Possibly she chooses
to slide a point of Corruption back to Purity – easily explained if she resisted Gene’s grimy wiles,
but even if she caved in she could slide a point back by explaining how much she regretted
her moment of weakness and how determined she was to not let the situation get any worse.
Furthermore, she can raise a Quality too – there are cases to be made for raising her Observation,
Honesty or Deceit. If she successfully got rid of Gene without surrendering her virtue, she could
get a point of Courage. But only one point is available per scene, so Emily has to choose how this
seduction affected Madge.
48 • CONFLICT
Example #2: Ambrose Wants To Clean Up Precinct 13
Unaware of his wife’s drama, Sergeant Ambrose Dickerson is down at Precinct 13 leaning on
Detective Noah Smith. Melvin is playing Ambrose, and one of his fellow players (Carrie) is
controlling Noah, so the GM is refereeing a PC on PC conflict.
MELVIN: Ambrose corners Noah and pulls him into the locker room where they’re alone.
MELVIN: Once we’re inside, I give him a hard and level stare. “I know about the money,
Noah. This can’t go on. You have to give it back, make this right.”
GM: You guys want to roll for this, or are the stakes not high enough yet?
MELVIN: “I saw you take it. Don’t make me go to Internal Affairs. The precinct’s short
staffed as it is.”
CARRIE: “If you really think I’ll do more good behind bars for skimming some money –
which I’m not saying I did – when no one got hurt and it would just rot in the
evidence locker… then yeah, go ahead. Rat me out. While we’re playing Johnny
Pureshirt, maybe those Internal Affairs guys would be interested in hearing the
truth about Cortez’ convenient ‘fall down the stairs’ right before he told us where
Murdoe was holding the girl.”
GM: Okay, these are serious threats. What pools are you two using to browbeat each
other. Mel? The Internal Affairs threat?
MELVIN: Ambrose… isn’t sure. I’m not sure. How about Persuasive Purity?
CARRIE: He’d never fink on Ambrose, but he bluffs about it. Persuasive Deceit.
(Note that Carrie is choosing to play this openly. Other groups might have more fun if the pool
she chose was a secret between her and the GM.)
CONFLICT • 49
They roll, and neither one gets a set. It’s inconclusive.
MELVIN: “It’s not the same thing, Noah. Murdoe would have killed her, the clock was
ticking… it wasn’t just greed. You’re a good cop and I don’t want to see you lose
sight of that! This precinct needs Noah Smith, but the smart Noah Smith who
cares about putting scumbags behind bars… not the dirty Noah Smith who’s
doing the same things those scumbags would do, if they had a badge and the
public trust.”
CARRIE: Ouch. “Who got hurt? Nobody got hurt, it’s not like the case is going to fall apart
because it’s only a big wad of cash instead of a huge one. The thieves were stealing
from thieves, and they’re both too rich to miss it, too rich to get caught without
their fancy lawyers. You know this case is going to be hung in litigation for years,
while both of them walk free buying diamond rings and drinking champagne
while the two of us make do walking beats in year-old shoes. Why shouldn’t I wet
my beak a little? Who does it hurt?”
MELVIN: “It hurts you, Noah. I can’t think of anything worse that could happen to you than
to become like them. Except maybe for you to change and not even realize it.”
MELVIN: Patient Generosity? I’m trying to help him, and trying to help the whole
precinct.
MELVIN: Do I have to target a Quality? Can’t this be about my larger goal of ridding the
precinct of corruption?
GM: I think you’re going to have to do better than that. Are you really willing to go
after Noah’s Selfishness, even though it’s helped you?
GM: Okay.
They roll and Melvin gets a 2x2. Carrie gets a 2x3, and is able to use them as gobble dice to wreck
his set.
50 • CONFLICT
CARRIE: Screw this. Noah slumps down on a bench and says, “You’re right. I just… I just
wanted it to be my turn, you know? My turn with the good stuff.”
MELVIN: “That stuff ’s no good if it costs you your soul. Are you going to put the money
back?”
CARRIE: Noah nods. “I’ll… I’ll pay it back. God Ambrose, I spent it, you know? I can’t just
get that kind of cash, if I could I wouldn’t have taken it in the first place. I’ll pay it
back when I can.”
CARRIE: Oh, hell no. Persuasive Deceit. I’m not targeting a Quality, I’m just trying to get
him to believe it and get off my back.
MELVIN: Sure, but before I do, Ambrose claps him on the back and says, “You’ll pay me
back. I can front you the cash. I’ll take out a second mortgage.”
At the end of this scene, the players have been lucky. Nobody scored enough of a hit to decrease a
Quality. Each gets a free Quality slide – maybe Melvin moves one off his Generosity to represent
the money he’s fronting to Noah, or maybe he moves one to Courage because he had the strength
to confront his colleague and jeopardize their friendship. Carrie has plenty of call to slide stuff off
of Selfishness or Corruption or Deceit, since Noah can see Ambrose sacrificing on his behalf.
Furthermore, it’s possible that they can raise a Quality. Ambrose clearly qualifies for a point
of Purity, or maybe Generosity instead. Noah probably doesn’t – though if he decides later on to
leave Noah hanging financially, or even frame him for the theft, he could easily score a point of
Selfishness, and set Ambrose up for a point of Honesty or Deceit in the process.
GM: Gene opens the door in his bathrobe, blinking. “Sarge? Is there a break on the
CONFLICT • 51
Dillworth case?”
GM: You’re both unarmed and your Combat Potential is way higher. Wrath him. He’s
trying to dodge with Graceful Defiance.
Ambrose has an 8d pool against Gene’s 5d defense, and since he’s got a minor surprise (see page
46) he gets a +1d bonus. He rolls a 3x1, while Gene gets a 2x2. Too slow to dodge, Sergeant
Dickerson slams a meaty fist into Gene’s breadbasket. Gene slides a point of Courage to Wrath.
GM: “Sarge, what’s going on? What?” He seems genuinely baffled and afraid as he
stumbles back into the house. He’s trying some kind of Persuasive attack on your
Wrath.
MELVIN: I don’t believe him. Madge wouldn’t lie to me. I hit him. Bam, right on the
kisser.
GM: Another 8d pool, without the surprise bonus. He’s got 6d in… whatever he’s
using, Honesty or Deceit.
They roll. This time, Ambrose gets a stellar 4x7, while Gene gets a 3x1. Gene would lose a point
of Courage, but since it’s already gone, he loses a point of Vigor instead. He also loses a die from
his set, but since it’s wide enough to remain a 2x1, he still gets through to Ambrose and slides a
point off the Sergeant’s Wrath. The GM nods to Carrie.
GM: At this point, Noah shows up. You pull up just in time to see Ambrose go across
Gene’s face. Blood arcs so hard you can see it spatter the window next to the front
door. What are you doing?
CARRIE: I run up through the doorway and grab Ambrose in a bear hug.
GM: Sure you don’t want to kick him? He’s curled up in a ball on the floor. He’s also
pleading for you to stop. “Nothing happened Sarge, I’m sorry, please, I’m sorry!”
52 • CONFLICT
MELVIN: Is that an attack on my Wrath?
GM: Oh yeah.
Melvin rolls his decreased Vigorous Wrath pool and gets a 2x3. Carrie rolls Vigorous Courage
and gets a 2x3 also. Rolling for Gene, the GM gets a 2x8, which couldn’t come at a better time.
Gene’s 2x8 slides another point off Ambrose’s Wrath and costs him a die from a set, ruining
his attack.
GM: Since Gene is so pathetic, Ambrose is forced to pause – just long enough for Noah
to charge in and grab him. Next round – what’re you doing? Ambrose, if you
want to take another shot at Gene, you need to shrug off Noah – either Vigorous
Defiance or Graceful Defiance, depending on whether you want to use muscle
or agility. You have to gobble out any successes he rolls. Noah, if you want to just
hold onto him, it’s either Vigorous Endurance or Graceful Endurance. Gene is
trying to scuttle away, clutching his ribs and dribbling blood all over the floor.
MELVIN: I’m doing a multiple action – one to break the grip, one to hit Gene.
GM: One Vigorous Endurance, unless you want to escape Gracefully…? No, why
would you? One Vigorous Wrath. Which pool is lower?
CARRIE: “Christ Ambrose, you could kill him!” I’m holding on.
CARRIE: Mmmm… no, I’d better concentrate on just getting around him and keeping him
from messing up Gene. I know he’s bigger so I’m just being tricky, trying to keep
him wrong-footed. Graceful Endurance, then.
They roll. Gene gets no sets on his attempt to dodge. Carrie gets no sets on her attempt to keep
Ambrose contained. Ambrose rolls a 3x8 but no second set.
GM: Since you need to get free before you hit Gene again, you have to spend that set on
your escape. You are out, though. Gene, however, has scrambled over to a chest of
drawers and is fumbling inside it.
CONFLICT • 53
GM: That’s… hm, Graceful Wrath. He’s using Graceful Courage to get whatever it is.
Carrie?
CARRIE: I’m shouting “Both of you, snap out of it! Just calm down!” Double attack on
Wrath using Persuasive Honesty?
GM: Take a penalty die and try for two sets. If you want to focus on only one of them –
train your body language on him, try to catch his eye – you have to declare which
one.
They roll. Gene gets a 2x10. Ambrose gets a 2x8. Carrie gets a 2x9.
GM: Gene goes first. He has pulled out his service revolver and aimed it at Ambrose.
GM: Sure, though sliding a point to Courage might actually help him right now.
MELVIN: I’m trying to Vigorously, Courageously wrench the gun out of his hand.
GM: Gene’s yelling at you to get back. We’ll consider it a Persuasive attack on your
Courage. If he gets a set, he’s going to use the gun bonus to raise Width.
They roll. Ambrose gets a 4x4, easily acting before Gene’s 2x1. He does not damage one of Gene’s
Qualities, however, because his goal was to seize the gun, not to affect Gene. The GM decides
that even though there’s no particular rule about it, Gene’s warning loses a die from the set, since
he doesn’t have the weapon any more. Noah has the gun out.
54 • CONFLICT
GM: Flushed with the victorious sensation of beating the blood out of Gene, you’re
easily brave enough to disarm him. Now it’s back to Wrath. You going to throw
the gun down? Put it away? Pistol-whip him? Shoot his cheating ass?
MELVIN: Um…
GM: We’ll come back to you. Gene’s putting his hands up. If you break off your attack,
he won’t try to plead. Noah? Where’s that gun of yours pointed, anyhow?
CARRIE: At the floor… for now. “Ambrose, stop! You’ll kill him! And then I… I’ll either
have to shoot you or help you bury him. I don’t want to do either one.”
MELVIN: Yeah… Ambrose is all angried out for the moment. He’s going to slowly lower the
gun. Dump its shells on the floor. Turn and go.
CARRIE: “Y’know Gene, I think you should stay away from his wife.”
CONFLICT • 55
Character Generation
To create a character for A Dirty World you need
to have numbers in all her Identities, numbers in at
least some of her Qualities, a secret, and a profession.
(Professions are explained below.) If you feel the
need for Specialties, you can get those too. You start
out with a pool of creation points to spend on your
character, typically 40. You get a profession for free,
along with a single point of Vigor, and then you can
spend your points as follows.
IDENTITY: Each point in an Identity
We ak !
costs three creation points.
Forty points won’t buy you a lot,
I’ll admit
that freely. While the perception
QUALITY: Each point in a Quality that starting
characters are incompetent is com
costs a creation point. mon to many
games, in A Dirty World it’s esp
ecially true.
But it’s okay. Honest. The reason
SPECIALTY: Each Specialty costs two for this is that
good ol’ Swift Justice. By the end
creation points. You can of a session,
your character may have stacked
never have more than three a good 5-6
points directly on her Qualities –
Specialties. more if she
didn’t loose a lot of points in con
flicts, or if the
GM is pretty generous with wha
PROFESSION:Each profession past the t constitutes a
‘finished scene.’
first free one costs three
creation points. If you feel your character doesn’t
have the
dice pools to succeed, push her
into situations
When you pick your secret, it’s where she can utilize Swift Justice
. If you can’t
Minor by default. It’s something that is, get exactly what you want, conside
r raising its
at the very least, embarrassing – you’re opposite and then either using the
free slide
secretly in love with the wrong person, to move points over or (more dev
iously) spur
you pilfered money from the family conflicts with other PCs and try to
provoke
business, or you were responsible for an them into attacking your Qualitie
s and sliding
accident where someone got badly hurt. them for you. Of course, that’s a
risky gamble,
If you upgrade your secret to Serious, because that PC may not quit whe
n your
you get another point to buy Qualities, unwanted Quality is empty, and
he might get
Identities and the like. But that’s for a the Wide rolls needed to just hac
k off a dot
secret that really changes your life if it’s instead of sliding it. Don’t say I didn
’t warn you.
widely known, and not in a good way.
CHARACTER GENERATION • 57
Serious secrets are things like being illegitimate, cheating on a spouse, or being an alcoholic. You
can get three points if your secret is Horrendous. If a Horrendous secret gets out, it wrecks your
life, leaving you disgraced and ostracized, if not jailed or dead. Deliberate cannibalism, murder,
or betraying your country during wartime are examples of Horrendous secrets.
After you pick your secret, explain it to the player sitting to your left. Her character knows
your secret, somehow. If she decides she knows because she was involved (maybe tangentially),
that’s fine, but she can also know without sharing any guilt. Try to forget the other player knows,
if your character doesn’t know hers is on to him. If you need a distraction, consider the secret
that the player to your right. Here’s hoping it’s juicy.
Academic
Someone who has made a life of the mind his primary objective qualifies as an Academic. He
typically has social connections and can apply surprising resources – often not his own but those
he’s patiently convinced the police chief or college president or hospital director to apply. The
academic could also be a nurse, a teacher, an inventor or a philanthropist.
Professional Link: Generosity and Demonstration
Detective
Private investigators, police detectives, snooping reporters and spies of all types thrive on the
accumulation of information. A curious combination of skepticism and open-mindedness lets
them absorb information without instantly jumping to conclusions – they rarely trust anything,
even their own first impressions.
Professional Link: Selfishness and Observation
58 • CHARACTER GENERATION
Defender
This profession could indicate a bodyguard, bouncer or anyone
else who provides protection. Most commonly, it’s a cop. The
job of the police is to preserve order, which often means dealing
with people at their worst – sometimes when outnumbered
and armed with nothing but six bullets and the authority of
a badge. Security guards don’t even get the badge. Sometimes,
that’s enough. Sometimes, they have to take a little punishment
and bull their way through. Example Specialties
Professional Link: Courage and Endurance Air Pilot
Thug Architect
Some people like to hurt others. They are often disliked, which
Astrologer
means they have to develop some instincts to help them ooze
out of the trouble that so often dogs their kick-itching heels. Atomic Engineer
This is also the profession for boxers, enforcers, torpedoes, hit
Couture Clothing Designer
men and a variety of vicious petty crooks.
Professional Link: Wrath to Defiance Lawyer
Femme Fatale
The dark counterpart to the ingénue is the femme fatale who,
again, doesn’t have to be female but often is. This is someone
who excels at manipulating the emotions of others so that she
can prey on their weaknesses – sometimes for gain, sometimes
just ‘cause it’s what she does best. This is also a good profession
for con artists and criminal masterminds.
Professional Link: Corruption to Deceit
CHARACTER GENERATION • 59
Appendix:
One Roll Legal Problems
Often, a GM comes up with a great
mystery, subtle clues and devastating
plot twists all on her own. That’s
great, that’s as it should be. But
sometimes a GM needs (or wants)
a little help. Nothing wrong with
that, either. To lend that help, here’s
a random plot generator.
It works like this. Roll 11d10 (or fewer if you want something
less complicated). Sort out the sets and note down the dice outside
pairs. The sets indicate the central legal elements of the problem
- the crux of the matter that’s involving a P.I., lawyer, cop or
interested bystander. The loose dice represent twists, complications
and revelations.
With one roll, the GM gets a pile of elements, but it’s like
a tangled skein of yarn. The GM still has to sort, interpret and
arrange the events, thereby knitting them into a warm sweater of
betrayal, greed and fear.
If you get a wide set, don’t worry about anything that comes
earlier in the progression: If you get a 4x2, (blackmail) it doesn’t
mean that the 3x2 and 2x2 results (stalking and amorous badgering)
come into play. They sure can if you want, but they don’t have to.
(The 5x5 Divorce is an exception to this, obviously.)
It can be a good idea to consider the Width of the sets as a
rough gauge of their seriousness. Events on the chart don’t just
get more serious as the Width rises: Every die in a set is also a
die that’s not randomly complicating matters, so devote the energy
and time you’d have spent on those complications to the central
issue instead.
It can also be a good idea to set some dice to results you want
and to just toss the rest to inspire elaboration. If you know you
want a Black Dahlia-style killer freakshow, set five dice to 10 and
roll the other six to see what other plot clowns are wandering
around the noir circus.
5x2 Twisted, serious death threats. Possibly 5x5 Wealth, fame, and all of the other x5
with props. results.
3x3 Destruction of something valuable. 3x6 A suspicious Last Will and Testament.
x10 MURDER
2x10 Manslaughter
67
He was sitting in the booth at the diner. A peculiar,
American place, in my eyes. So much chrome.
“Thank you for meeting me,” he said. We sat in silence for a little while. I waited
“It was the least I could do,” I replied. for the waitress, who did not come.“You look
“The least you could do is nothing.” He good,” he said. I thanked him, and asked him
turned to the window, the corners of his mouth how his job was going.
deepening down. “A lot of people do that.” “Oh, that.” He glanced down, played
“I know.” with his ring. “It’s, um, it’s not easy, making
“Yeah.” He looked back at me. It made the change back. Like people have
me uncomfortable, those doe-brown eyes. forgotten, you know? Forgotten how to act.
“I guess I don’t have to tell you that.” What normal is.”
68
I reached across and put my hand on his. Even the war could not make those mountains
I had to. “The changes aren’t easy for anyone.” ugly. The… the sadness, and the fear, it only
“Guess not.” His fingers slowly encircled made it more precious, seeing the sky perfect
mine. “People just want something to hold on blue and a river, or a pink sunset cloud. Do
to, I guess.” His head tilted up, gradually, to see you see?”
my face. “Something they can know for sure.” He shook his head, eyebrows drawn
Those eyes, by nature so warm and trusting. together. I do not think he was well educated.
How many men had they watched die? How “I saw beauty there, but the destination
many of those men had he killed? was hell. What you want, with me, would have
“I know you,” he said, leaning forward. it’s priceless times, but the end… that I could
“No, I’m not sure you do.” I tried to retrieve not do to you.”
my hand, but not very hard. He tightened “You think being… with me… would be
around it, not unpleasantly. I could feel dread like that?”
poisoning my gratitude. “No, do not misunderstand, please! I owe
“I don’t know about your childhood or you a debt I can never repay, ever. What you,
your family or, or your favorite song I guess, all of you, did for us… it is not only goodness,
but I know you. At least, I know where I stand but greatness. I understand, and the people
with you.” you work with do not, yes? To them, it is far
“You saved my life.” away, a… a dream.”
“I know.” He squeezed, then let go. “That’s “A war story,” he muttered.
about all I know.” “You want to know you are a good man
At last, the waitress arrived. We asked for who did a great thing,” I said, and I wanted to
coffee, and he tried to order an omelette for touch him again, but I didn’t. “Good men, they
me. When she had gone, he asked my favorite do not cheat on their wives.”
song, and I laughed. It was a sad sound, not a He left me then, and I drank my coffee
joyful one. and wished I could cry. When the waitress
“What is it, that you want from me?” returned, I said I didn’t want anything else.
I asked. He had not paid. As I reached into my purse,
He turned those eyes on me again, the button fell from my sleeve – I had been
beseeching. What a horror those eyes could tugging it again.“Funny birthmark,” she said.
turn into, I thought, with only a very little “Like a five.”
difference. He did not have to say that what “It is a tattoo,” I replied.
he needed, was to be needed.“I went… there, “A what?”
on a train,” I said. I realized I was picking at I didn’t explain. I don’t think she
my sleeve, the button by my wrist. I stopped. understood, or was interested. I turned my
“Looking out a hole in the wall, I saw wrist down and paid, before she could see the
mountains, and forests, and beautiful fields. other numbers in the string.
69
NAME Game
Player Profession
Patience cunning
education and knowledge demonstration quick fixes, jury rigging
vigor grace
marathon run, hold a pin endurancE car chase, balancing
understandING persuasion
find flaws in true statements honesty tell the truth convincingly